Naruto: Tsubaki's Story
by hellz swordsman
Summary: Naruto grew up hated by his entire village. This in turn caused him to come to hate himself. So he decided it would be best to be anyone but himself. So he becomes Tsubaki. This is the story of her life. filled with friendship, love, and adventure of being a kunoichi of the leaf.
1. tsubaki and naruto

Naruto sat in the hallway at the ninja academy. He had been trying to skip class today and wound up getting caught instead. Now he was stuck in the hallway until Iruka-sensei was ready with a world class rant for him. It doesn't matter. Naruto decided. I'm not going to be here when he is ready to give it to me. He quickly made the hand signs for his transformation technique. He had discovered that his transformations were real completely by accident. How was he supposed to know that it wasn't real. The description had been to picture what you want to look like and pour as much chakra into the technique as you could. Naruto wound up as a life size hawk, and proceeded to clumsily fly from the class. Which he was going to do now. It became apparent in his pranking career that not being yourself when someone was looking for you was a good idea.

Not to mention that over the years he had grown to hate himself to the core. He figured that if everyone else hated him then obviously something was wrong with him. So he eventually decided it would be best if he was nothing like Naruto and soon he had made a whole nother persona. Whereas Naruto was a boy the other was a girl. Where Naruto was bubbly and happy all the time, she wasn't she let her hurt from the village show. Where Naruto was in your face from the orange jumpsuit to his brawler fighting style she wasn't. The trouble was he hadn't been her enough to move like she should, which was actually why he was friends with a team that had just recently graduated.

* * *

**Flashback**

A smaller red haired girl was punching a training post at one of the out of the way training areas. She was weaving in and out of imaginary blows and delivering frighteningly powerful blows with the excess energy from the way she was moving. She was solely focused on what she was doing and didn't notice the team that had just shown up for training. Nor did she notice the weirdly dressed jonin gesture for silence and attention. Soon however the girl was worn out. She sat down and began sobbing into her knees, only to be engulfed in a tight hug from behind. The girl jumped out of the hug and spun into a ready stance to face off the unknown attacker, only to see looks that ranged from admiration, to sympathy.

"Tell me Child why are practicing such a long way from the main village?" the Green clad jonin asked in a surpisingly gentle voice.

"Nobody wants me around so I came out her." She said looking at them critically. "You can't make me leave here I was here first!" This was said while biting her lip nervously.

"You should be in school at this time shouldn't you?" The girl asked with a slight frown.

"Why all the do is give me tests we haven't covered, and fuss at me when I do something wrong they hate me and I don't know why." She cried angrily.

A look of realization came over the jonin's face. "Ah well then if they are sabotaging your performance we will help you surpass the best in you class. And by doing this it will help my own students reach a new skill level as well."

The girl looked at him hopefully, and was about to open her mouth, when the jonin spoke again. "just as soon as you drop the henge you are wearing."

The girl froze in place. She looked ready to bolt, only for a soft hand to rest upon he left shoulder. She looked over to see the girl of the team smile encourgingly. "Hey, Gai-sensei already said it was cool for you to train with us. So why not show us who we will be training with?"

"You'll just make me leave if you knew who I really was." The girl whimpered sadly.

"Actually." Gai-sensei said with a large grin and a thumbs up. "I already know who you are and it doesn't matter. I'll still train you, and my team will still help."

The girl looked at the green clad man with a scrutiny you wouldn't expect from a child and whispered. "Promise?" Almost brokenly.

"I swear it on my ninja way!" The green clad man stated with a huge smile. Two of the genin were smiling encouragingly, both looked like typical Chinese martial artists, but the third was simply scowling at the world with his arms crossed. The girl put her hands in the rat seal and said "Kai." there was a swirl of blue and she turned into Naruto. He looked at them.

"You can change your mind now." He said with a smile. "Nobody likes me they think I'm useless and a monster, but it's ok I'll show them and you. I will be Hokage one day." He looked at the dumbfounded looks from the emotional whiplash they had just received. Where there had been a shy upset little girl was now a devil may care boy. With that said he turned around to walk away only to hear the jonin say.

"I told you Naruto I knew who you were and I would still train you. Do you not want to be trained but me?"

Naruto turned to look at him for a moment, then asked. "Do you have a problem if I turn back into her?"

"That is an interesting question." Gai said with a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps you could tell me why you were henged as a girl in the first place?"

Naruto seemed to think about that before nodding and saying. "Only if you tell me how you knew I was using a henge in the first place."

Gai grinned and said. "Well that's simple enough. I knew from Hokage-sama that your henge was real. It was the first clue as to who you were. You moved like you were used to being slightly bigger. So your moves were a bit sloppy. By the way where did you learn that style?"

"I didn't that was me winging it. I keep loosing whenever I try what the teacher try teaching me." Naruto said. "And I chose to be her cause everyone hates me. So obviously something has to be wrong with being me. So I decided to be as different as possible. So I made her. People are nice to her. They don't charge her more than retail for food. Or throw rocks at her when she walks down the street."

The whole team was quiet. Finally Gai asked. "Do you plan on becoming her permanently?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah I do. As soon as I figure out how."

"Well if you already plan on becoming her permanently who am I to stop you while you are here?" Gai asked giving another one of his thousand-watt smile.

Naruto nodded and henged back into the girl. Her long blood hung over her face and they heard her almost sob. Again they felt like they were on an emotional roller coaster. The girl with buns in her hair looked at the boy with a long braided ponytail. He shrugged uncertainly. She then turned and said. "Why are you crying?"

"Because he won't. He always acts like nothing bothers him but it does." She said looking up in chocolate eyes with her own violet orbs.

Gai cleared his throat and said. "Hm how about stretches really quick then we can go into light taijutsu spars. Oh by the way little girl what should we call you?"

"I'm Tsubaki." She said looking at him solemnly.

**flashback ends**

* * *

Naruto flew in the form of a hawk to the training ground. He had gotten better at being unseen by the villagers. It was hilarious to know they never suspected the wildlife to be pranking them. Which was pretty much what his life amounted to these days. He pretty much went to school goofed off and showed himself to be the clown everybody thought he was. But Tsubaki had taken up everything else. She was part of him. A part that he actually cared about. It hurt to think of her as himself so he thought of her as her. She was a separate entity that just shared brain space with him. She was coming along nicely. She liked to spend time with her friends, which consisted of Rock Lee and Tenten Higarashi. She and Tenten had to save Lee from becoming a Gai mini clone by taking him shopping and getting him kitted out with black pants a bunch of different skull shirts, a small crystal skull stud in his left ear. They also got his hair cut to spiking length, and had his eyebrows trimmed to be lightning bolts to complement his taijutsu speed. Tenten kept her look and bought a pair of dual dao swords instead. She admitted that she had a 'sharp and pointy' fetish as she called it. Tsubaki used Naruto's monthly stipend to by some clothes for herself as she had been using the henge to make clothes but they broke easily. Tenten had talked her into buying a wooden Jian to practice with to learn kenjutsu. It turned out that her personal taijutsu style, that she had been perfecting with Gai-sensei, was a perfect style to add most close range weapons to. So it hadn't required that much extra work on her part to begin using the Jian.

Naruto pulled out of his thoughts about Tsubaki's progress as he flew into the training ground and released the henge. He looked at the people around him and grinned. It was good to train with people who actually helped you get better. Lee was standing in front of a training post whaling on it with all his might. Naruto grimaced as the log exploded from the last punch. He had been on the receiving end of a few of those punches and they hurt like a bitch. Tsubaki had to before she got to the point that she could compete with lee's speed while he was wearing his weights. Then she had started wearing weights. Which didn't transfer over for some reason. So Naruto didn't gain any benefit from Tsubaki's training and likewise.

Not that it matters. Naruto though viciously to himself. Soon I will be a memory and she will be all that is left.

Naruto walked into the woods and stripped out of his clothes and put them in a bag that he kept here for just such an occasion. He then used then henge and disappeared into her mind. Tsubaki quickly put on he workout outfit, grabbed her training sword, and walked out to see Tenten waiting with a staff.

Oh this is going to hurt. Tsubaki thought with a wince when she noticed the way Tenten's staff whistled through the air angrily. That was a sure sign that Tenten had some frustrations that she wanted to work out. And since Tsubaki had been her sparing partner for a few months now; it was no surprise to Tsubaki, that Tenten had been getting more hits in that Tsubaki got evasions.

"You ready Tsubaki-chan? 'Cause I really want to pound something and you are it." Tenten said dropping into a ready stance. Tsubaki sighed and Dropped down into her starting stance. The wooden Jian was held point towards the ground in her right hand, so it was easily whipped up for a quick strike. And her left pointed upwards behind her ready to come down for a crippling striking elbow, a move that she had defeated all three on the team with. Granted it was a move that they were leery of now but hey. She had gotten all three at least once. Had to count for something.

Tenten rushed in with a sweep of the ground with the staff, forcing Tsubaki to leap into the air and spin away from the staff. The spinning also built up momentum for a debilitating slash of her sword. Tenten stepped into the swing and blocked the sword right against the hilt, which took away most of the strikes power. Then she headbutted Tsubaki and kicked her away. While Tsubaki reversed dazed, Tenten took the opportunity to crack the but of the staff against Tsubaki's hand. Which resulted in a sharp cry of pain and a dropped sword. Tenten raised the staff and pointed it at Tsubaki like a spear.

"Yeild Tsubaki-chan I win this round." She said seriously.

"Ok." Tsubaki said with a frown. "You win this round. How bout another?"

"That's my girl." Tenten said with a feral grin that caused Tsubaki to blush slightly, before they went at it again.

Maito Gai stood before Sarutobi's desk and looked down at the aged Hokage. He was waiting to be addressed as he had been called into the space and not come with anything of importance. So he waited, usually jonin were called in here to give and receive mission details. Obviously the Hokage had a mission for him. Except it wasn't what the Hokage wanted.

"You have been training young Naruto?" Hiruzen said looking at the scroll in his hand.

"No sir I have been training Tsubaki-chan. Naruto says he doesn't need training to reach his goal." Gai said with a small smile.

Hiruzen looked up at Gai, and pulled out his pipe. Gai watched as the Hokage filled it with tobacco and herbs before lighting it and taking a drag of the sweet smoke. "Do you truly believe that Tsubaki isn't Naruto?" Hiruzen asked thoughtfully.

"yes sir I do I believe it is a case of alternating personality. I talked to a few members of the intelligence division about the symptoms and they agree with me." Gai said with a somber nod. "I believe in Naruto's mind there is Tsubaki and there is Naruto. And I also believe they are working together to kill Naruto."

"You mean that by saying eventually make Naruto disappear altogether?" the Hokage asked for clarification.

"Yes Hokage-sama. I believe they fully intend for Naruto to die at the end of the academy and be reborn as Tsubaki permanently." Gai said with a frown.

"Well I guess I need to talk with them both." Hiruzen said taking a deep draw of the pipe smoke. "Thank you for your report Gai."

Gai nodded and left the area, leaving the Hokage to think about what he should do about Naruto and Tsubaki.


	2. the hokage and yuugo

Sarutobi stood by the window overlooking the village. Beside him stood a tall man with a long spiky white ponytail. The man was a stark contrast to Sarutobi himself. Whereas Sarutobi wore his typical Kage robes, but the other was wearing a pair of geta sandals and an olive green gi with a red jacket and a large scroll strapped top his back.

"Sensei you have to be joking." The larger man said incredulously.

"I can't say Jiraiya-kun. I just know what I've been told." Sarutobi said with a sigh. "I brought you in because I need your input as to how to deal with this."

"What could I possibly do that would make this any better?" Jiraiya asked loudly. "You said that his entire being is split into a boy who hates himself and a girl who so far has only one goal. Which by the way is to help her other half commit SUICIDE!"

Sarutobi sighed deeply. "I know Jiraiya I know. But maybe we can find a way to talk him out of it but we have to find a way to talk to them both at the same time."

"How would we do that? If she is really a whole different personality we would need another body." Jiraiya said throwing up his hand in defeat.

"Shadow clones perhaps?" Sarutobi said thoughtfully. "Naruto most certainly has the chakra for at least one."

"That could work." Jiraiya said with a thoughtful expression. "What say we do this and he really just wants to die?"

"I don't know Jiraiya. I just don't know." Sarutobi said picking his pipe up off the desk beside him. "But we have to get to the bottom of this."

"Kami help us with what we find there." Jiraiya said somberly shaking his head. "Is he already on his way here?"

"Yes I had Kakashi-kun go retrieve him and bring him here ." Sarutobi said with a wry grin. "I believe it is like removing a bandage and would be best done as soon as possible. So as soon as you reached the office I sent Kakashi off."

"So they'll either be here any minute now or they won't arrive for hours?" Jiraiya said with a frown.

Sarutobi gave his student an indulgent smile. "No fear Jiraiya-kun I expressed the importance of this to Kakashi-kun. He is under the penalty of me allowing Kurenai to know the location of the bookstore's back room if he doesn't arrive promptly."

Jiraiya frowned at his sensei. "And he didn't realize that you were bluffing?"

"Well I mentioned that I could get mine straight from the author as well as forbid you from giving or selling him anymore."

"Ah, well yes there is that." Jiraiya said soberly. There was a knock at the door. Jiraiya turned to see the door open and both Naruto and Kakashi walk in. Kakashi had his nose in Icha Icha Paradise vol. Two, and Naruto looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. Though given what he had just been talking about with his Sensei maybe he would prefer to be nowhere at all?

"Naruto-kun it's good to see you." Sarutobi said with a broad smile. "I wanted to talk to you about a certain young lady."

"You know gramps, I really don't like it when people dance around stuff. If you wanna talk to Tsubaki you just have to ask." Naruto said with a frown.

"Well yes I do wish to talk to her but I'd like to talk to you both." Sarutobi said crossing his arms behind his back.

"I can only let you talk to her or me we can't both talk at the same time." Naruto said with a suspicious frown. "How would you talk to both of us?"

"There are a few jutsu that make solid clones." Sarutobi began.

"You think that would help?" Naruto asked skeptically. "Gramps you know I can't make clones."

"You can't make the low level clones but that won't matter. Shadow clones are an entirely different cup of tea my boy. They have a physical body and can think for themselves." Sarutobi said with a knowing look.

"Th-that might work." Naruto said thoughtfully. "Who's gonna teach me the move?"

"I will." Jiraiya said with a small smile. " However I'm only showing you once so you damned well better pay attention."

"Yeah what ever you say old guy. Get to the jutsu already." Naruto said with a frown.

* * *

It took Naruto three hours to get the jutsu down. But when it was complete he transformed into Tsubaki. She sat looking at the three men in the room and the clone of Naruto who was looking at her oddly.

"Kami that is weird." The clone said at last. "I never expected to meet you face to face."

Tsubaki shifted uncomfortably at all the attention. The clone noticed and got between her and the others. " Alright old people stop starin' at her before I have to hurt you."

"Thank you Naruto." she said with a sad voice.

"Hey it's no problem. Your like my little sister right?" The clone asked rhetorically. "Big brothers are supposed to take care of their little sisters." She looked at him skeptically. She could see the loathing behind the false smile. It wasn't directed at her. She knew that but being face to face with Naruto gave her no options. They shared a brain and a body after all. She could read him like a book. She was shore he could read her to because he turn away from her. Hiding his face.

The adults in the room noticed a few things about the by-play. First off they noticed that Tsubaki was the original and Naruto was the clone. Also he was protective of her. Like she was in need of someone to take care of her. There was also the fact that she was gazing at him sadly and he turned so she couldn't see his face. That worked both ways when he turned away he could no longer see the hurt look on her face.

Jiraiya looked pointedly at Sarutobi, who only gave him a weathered look that said clearly. I have no idea what to do. Jiraiya turned to the two preteens. "So I hear that Tsubaki is training and Naruto isn't. How come?"

"'cause when we find a way to get rid of me I'll disappear and she'll be the only one left behind." Naruto said looking at the three men.

"He doesn't like it here and just wants to go away." Tsubaki said softly.

"Why do you want to disappear Naruto?" Kakashi asked closing the book in his hand with an audible snap. He put the book into his kunai pouch, and looked right at Naruto.

"Because I hate my life." Naruto said with a growl. "There has to be something wrong with me and obviously I need to die so I can stop bothering people."

"That's not true!" Roared four voices, three were angry and one was close to crying.

"Really?" He asked angrily. "Because I'm pretty sure that that many people with the same opinion can't be wrong! I've heard them calling me demon and murderer. I can't remember what happened when I was a baby but I'm not stupid!"

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked in a subdued manner. The other two men looked deathly pale.

"I was born the day that the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi." Naruto said lowering his head so that his bangs covered his eyes. "I have checked the records. I was found in the wreckage of the fight. There was no body found for the Kyuubi was there gramps. And I know why! It's because he didn't destroy it he turned it into a human!"

Everyone in the room was deathly quiet. To be so close to the truth and fall so far short.

"I am the reincarnation of the Kyuubi." Naruto said with a growl. "And even if I die all that power has to go somewhere."

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" Kakashi asked in a strangled whisper.

"I can't just die or someone else would be born with this cursed soul." Naruto said angrily. He began pacing the room. "Do you realize that even if me and Tsubaki succeed she will have my body. She'll be my jinchuriki damn it!"

"Naruto I feel there is something that you must know." Sarutobi stood up from his desk. "You are not the Kyuubi. You are it's jinchuriki. The Yondaime didn't turn it into a human baby, he sealed it into one. You. His own son."

Naruto whirled around and looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "No." He said backing away from them. "That can't be true if I was the Yondaime's son why did everyone hate me?!"

"Because they were close minded fools." Jiraiya growled angrily.

"I don't know if I believe you. And even if I did. It doesn't matter I don't plan on being around long enough for it to count for anything." Naruto said gruffly. "Just leave everything to Tsubaki she will need it if she wants to be a good ninja."

"Why do you have to cease to be?" Jiraiya asked looking at Naruto suspiciously. "Why are you so determined to disappear?"

"Because I want to disappear." Naruto said vehemently. "I hate my life and I just want it to end." His statement had started harshly, but by the end it just sounded lost and defeated.

"Take off the coat." Tsubaki said softly.

Naruto jerked like he had been slapped. "How did you..."

"I'm sharing a body and brain with you. I can remember all your memories like a movie I watched." Tsubaki said sadly. "You can do mine the same way. You just didn't think I could."

"What are you two talking about?" Sarutobi asked reluctantly like he really didn't want to know but knew he had to ask.

Naruto took off his jacket and tossed it to the side where it went up in a puff of smoke. There gleaming evilly on the exposed skin of his arms were two rows of thin scars running horizontally up from his wrist to his elbows. The three men looked physically sick to their stomachs at what they saw before them. Here was the boy they were charged with protecting and they had failed utterly.

"What it's not like it could kill me." Naruto said defensively but making no move to cover the scars.

"...Why?" Kakashi asked looking at the scar transfixed.

"I wanted something real." Naruto said sullenly. "At least the razor blade never pretended that it was going to be nice to me."

"It was before I came into being." Tsubaki said softly. "He created me after he had dreams about a woman who looks like me."

"Kushina." Sarutobi said thoughtfully. "I wonder why he would dream of her?"

"She's his mother." Jiraiya stated wryly. "Why shouldn't he dream of her."

"But he's m\never seen her, even in a picture, since the sealing." Sarutobi stated with a frown.

"Maybe her spirit was trying to help him?" Kakashi said with a thoughtful look.

"Maybe she was trying to tell him it would be alright." Tsubaki said angrily. "It doesn't matter because it's not alright. He is my father, my brother, and me all rolled up in one and I have to help him kill himself so if your not going to help leave us alone."

Naruto shook his head and frowned, before poofing out of existence. Tsubaki turned away to leave only to be stopped by Jiraiya. "How are you going to make the transformation permanent?"

"Fuuinjutsu." She said looking at him distrustfully. "Why?"

"Because I'm a Fuuinjutsu master and if you do it wrong it can have disastrous effects. I'll help you make the transformation permanent if you allow me to."

"Why would you help me?" She asked uncertainly. "You don't want him to die."

"Your right I don't but that's not the point. If you play around with Fuuinjutsu and not know what you are doing it could kill more than the two of you." Jiraiya said with a scowl. "It'll take a while to make a seal that will work but after I do you should be fine. Can you wait a few weeks?"

"I can." She said cautiously. "But you are gonna explain it every step of the way or your not doing anything."

"Ok." Jiraiya said with a grin.

* * *

Tsubaki left the room and soon the entire Hokage tower. She made her way to her apartment and grabbed some clothes. Since she had transformed with closes on they were much more fragile than the real thing. After removing the transformed clothes she walked into her scroll library. It was admittedly small, with only a few jutsu of each element and a few that weren't elementally aligned. But she had worked hard to get then. She had spent hours working on calligraphy so that she could get her own jutsu library. Mostly because she still didn't trust most of the village even though they treated her like a normal person. How could she trust them after seeing how they had treated Naruto growing up.

She frowned and grabbed a scroll on wind release: great breakthrough. It had been a very rare find. And she was eternally grateful that some tired librarian had misplaced it. She had borrowed it as soon as she saw it and rushed it home to begin copying it. It had taken an hour and a half to copy all the information. Which was a let down to her but she new that wind release was rare in Konoha so she wasn't really surprised. She had also found the lightning release: lightning ball scroll having been put up wrong as well. It was coincidentally the only lightning jutsu she had found. She had plenty low level jutsu of the other three elements, but those two were her treasures. She had found that she could pretty much do any elemental jutsu except earth, which she figured meant she was probably wind-natured as earth was wind's natural opposite. She walked out behind the apartment into a small clearing and unfurled the jutsu scroll. She studied it like she had so many times before and tried to figure out a way to create her own jutsu. She wanted to create her own jutsu more than anything. She had decided it would be a move that would allow her to punch blasts of wind. But thus far no luck. She had managed to make great breakthrough into a smaller group of blasts instead of one huge one, which had its own applications. Given that the big one was a area of effect jutsu and the smaller could be aimed. So far wind release: bullet barrage was the closest she had gotten.

* * *

Unknown to Tsubaki there was a woman watching her from the shadows marveling at the resemblance between this little girl and her former Sensei, Kushina Uzumaki. She wanted to rush out and hug the mini lookalike but knew there was no way this girl was related to her Sensei. Her Sensei only had one child after all and it had died. Unless the village had lied about that to keep her safe. Her Sensei had had quite a few enemies especially in Kumo. Not to mention the fact that her Sensei had been secretly married to the Yondaime so that would mean that any child she had would have been his also. Oh Kami it made sense of course they would hide her. She would be in constant danger from assassins from both Kumo and Iwa. And being a girl and one of the last Uzumaki she would be in danger of far worse than just death. Finally the woman couldn't take it and had to talk to the little girl reading a wind-natured jutsu scroll of all things. She stepped out into the field.

* * *

"You know that's pretty advanced reading for a girl not even in the academy." Said an amused voice behind her. Tsubaki 'eeped' and spun around to find a woman with long purple hair and a sword sticking over her shoulder. Tsubaki looked at her like she was waiting for an attack.

"Who are you?" Tsubaki asked trying to discretely look for an exit.

"I'm Yuugo Uzuki." The purple haired swordswoman said with a small smile. "And you are in my personal training area."

"Oh." Tsubaki said with a blush. "I didn't know it was anybodies area. I just found it when I moved in and it seemed like a convenient area to train in. I'm sorry."

"It's no problem but why aren't you in the academy if you are reading such advanced jutsu?" Yuugo asked with a frown.

"Well I never got in. I'm kind of new around here." Tsubaki said looking away from Yuugo. "The Hokage knows about me and is going to let me become a ninja. And I sometimes train with Gai-sensei and his team."

"Huh. What do you train in?" Yuugo asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Well me and Tenten are training in swords she has a bunch but I have a training jian. And I'm practicing in my own form of taijutsu that they are all helping me develop." Tsubaki said thoughtfully.

"What have you learned by yourself?" Yuugo asked inquizitively.

"Well I have mastered tree walking and am working on water walking. I know how to use shadow clones. And a few elemental jutsu like great breakthrough, lightning ball, water bullet, and phoenix flower. I can't use earth techniques. And I'm trying to figure out how to create my own jutsu." Tsubaki said while tapping her chin with her pointer finger.

"Wow you are a really well rounded ninja." Yuugo said with a bit of awe. Granted the girl knew her stuff but it was different to know something in a training environment and to know it in real combat. "Do you have a sword style or do you just use it like a really long kunai?"

Tsubaki blushed at the comment. "Well I use it as an extension of my taijutsu style."

This seemed to intrigue the older woman. "Can you explain that to me please?"

"Well my taijutsu is all about evading my opponents and using the evasion as a means of attack. I gain momentum from the evasion and use it to bolster my attacks. It all works on the principle that the best was to bloke a blow is to not be there to receive it. I have used it effectively on Neji using the Hyuuga fighting style and he is hailed as a prodigy." Tsubaki said with a smile. "I have knocked out every member of Gai-sensei's team with my taijutsu alone."

Now Yuugo was more than impressed. This tiny slip of a girl who looked so much like her Sensei had been able to defeat every member of a heavily taijutsu based team using taijutsu. Yuugo swallowed and looked at the girl before biting her lip. "What is your name?" She asked looking directly at the girl.

"Tsubaki." Was the reply.

"Do you have a family name?" Yuugo asked trying not to look desperate.

"I guess it would be Uzumaki." Tsubaki said suspiciously. Yuugo looked at her and almost broke into tears. She slowly walked over to the girl and knelt in front of her. "Do you know your mom's name?" She asked looking at the mini Kushina.

"The Sandaime said it was Kushina today before that no I didn't." Tsubaki said backing away. "Why are you asking me this?"

Yuugo finally couldn't hold back the tears. "I was Kushina's student when I was a genin. It was me Hana Inuzuka and a girl named Kiterra. I knew that Sensei had been pregnant but they told me that the baby had died. They told Kakashi the same thing. He was your father's student." Yuugo said softly hoping not to upset the girl. "I would have been there to help raise you if I had known you were ok...can I hug you?"

Tsubaki looked at the older woman. Then said in a rush. "You knew my mom? Can you tell me about her? I don't mind if you hug me."

Yuugo scooped up the girl and twirled her around giddily. "Of course I'll tell you about her. Would you like to go get some ramen? Kushina-sensei used to love it we can talk there."

Tsubaki nodded happily and grabbed the scroll and quickly rolled it up. She put it in the pouch belted to her leg and smoothed out her shirt and shorts. She then looked at Yuugo shyly and offered her hand for the older woman to take. Yuugo smiled back and took the younger girls hand. She was going to be having words with the Hokage later but right now she was with her sensei's daughter, her own little sister in all but blood. She would think angry thoughts later.


	3. the seal, the sword, and Naruto's death

Tsubaki was sitting snuggled into Yuugo's side watching tv. She had been spending every minute that Yuugo wasn't on duty with the purple haired ANBU. It was very like having a big sister. Naruto had been going to school via a shadow clone as Tsubaki delved into the mysteries of jutsu creation. The Hokage had been feeling very generous about giving Tsubaki many high level jutsu scrolls for her to study as long as she was helped by Yuugo. It had actually been funny to see the look on the Hokage's face when he heard Yuugo ask why she hadn't been told her Sensei's Daughter was still alive. Hiruzen Sarutobi had paled drastically when she began to reach for her sword whilst covering three blocks around the Hokage tower with her Killing Intent.

The Hokage had spun her a tale of Naruto's birth and the fear of what would happen if him newly deceased mother's enemies found out of his existence. The Hokage had authorized a high level genjutsu be placed on his. Only he and Kakashi had known and it had been classes a 'SS' ranked secret. He then told her about everything he knew about Tsubaki's 'birth' and Naruto's hatred for all things. Yuugo had found herself with her head spinning from the pain of this knowledge. She had looked at Naruto who was sitting in the with them. He was a shadow clone of course so when she turned to say how sorry she was to him he just held up his hand and said. "Save it lady I don't care about any of this. I'll be gone soon all you gotta do to make amends is be good for Tsubaki. Be there for her and you'll be squared up with any debt you think you owe?" then he poofed out of existence leaving behind two very distraught girls and a massive headache forming for the Hokage.

After she had calmed down enough to receive the hokage's apologies and the paperwork needed to turn the young Tsubaki Uzumaki into the newly adopted Tsubaki Uzuki. She now had her own bedroom in a nice apartment. Naruto had been keeping his clothes and stuff in his own apartment. He was also checking for anything that could be added to the jutsu library that they had apparently been given by there parents. It was quite sad to Tsubaki that her other side had been treated the way he had when she wasn't it had somehow gotten out that the daughter of the The Yellow Flash and The Bloody Habenaro was still alive brought out quite a stir inside the village and out.

There had been an interesting letter from Iwa as well as one from Kumo stating that the grudges of the past had been left there and they had no wish to insight a war over a child of their long dead adversaries. It didn't matter though as Hiruzen stated that the children, yes children as in plural, would be introduced at the end of their first chunin exams. Naruto had laughed at the old man bitterly, and said that he would be here by then. Tsubaki had left the room crying. It hurt her to see her father/twin in such pain. She ran towards Her apartment and buried her head into Yuugo's side and cried herself to sleep. Yuugo who was startled awake by the distraught girl diving into her side had woken instantly. She had rubbed the tiny girl and cooed softly to her. When the girl was asleep she shrugged and went to sleep cuddling to the small girl.

* * *

Jiraiya was standing in the middle of a large room with Tsubaki, Hiruzen, Yuugo, and Kakashi. Naruto wasn't present and nobody was smiling. Tsubaki was watching everything that happened with wide interested eyes. She was gazing intently at the Sealing. It was truly interesting to see Jiraiya focus solely on the Kanji and sometimes seemingly inconsequential lines of Chakra filled ink. She felt excited when he stopped inking in the seal, put down the ink and began to criticize his work for imperfections. After another fifteen minutes he stopped and nodded. Then he turned to the others and said. "Now I need you to strip down and stand in the center of the seal of that I can apply it."

Yuugo looked at him for a moment then grabbed the hilt of her katana. Jiraiya took notice of this and stepped back raising his hands defensively.

"Just why does she have to be naked?" Yuugo asked acidly.

"Whoa, whoa easy with the character assassinations. I am a super pervert but a pedophile I am not. Any clothes or jewelry could negatively affect the sealing in a variety of ways. I am strictly a professional when I'm working with Fuuinjutsu there are to many factors to be otherwise." Jiraiya said vehemently. Strangely enough it was Tsubaki who came to the sage's rescue.

"It's true Yuugo he isn't lying I read that in the first book about putting different seals on people they have to be completely uncovered for it to work properly. And since the book was one in dad's study I believe it." She said standing up and disrobing before walking into the sealing array. She sat directly in the middle in the lotus position and waited until Jiraiya walked towards the array and began to go through handseals. When he was done he cried out.

"Body reassertion seal:Fuuin!" These lines flared from black ink to fiery red, and it began to rush towards Tsubaki. Everyone watched as the symbols and lines began creeping up her body. It carried on for a few hours until all the lines stopped moving in the small of her back in the design of a crescent moon tattoo with tribal lines.

Yuugo looked at the girl's seal. She then turned to Jiraiya and glared. "You better have a very good reason why that Seal looks an awful lot like a tramp stamp."

"Hey the best seals have to look like tattoos so they aren't tampered with. I chose something she would like." Jiraiya said waving his hands defensively. "I don't think that she would want something tacky or masculine. I mean its not something awful its just a crescent moon."

"And do YOU have any of these tattoos?" Yuugo asked with a growl.

"Yes I do. As a matter of fact." Jiraiya said pulling his arm out of the Gi jacket and showed the his shoulders where he had a tiger over a yin symbol and a dragon over a yang symbol on his right and left shoulders respectively. "This is my strengthening seal." He said pointing to the dragon. "And this is my speed seal." He pointed at the tiger. He pulled the gi jacket back on and turned to face the crowd.

"When you have the chance of going up against 'S' class ninja, you have to have every advantage you can get." Jiraiya said with a tight smile.

Yuugo looked at him for a moment before she turned around and huffed. Jiraiya smiled tightly then turned to Tsubaki. "Don't worry kid you'll grow into the tattoo. I want to help train you if that's ok. Maybe we can talk about your parents when we are doing some training."

"I'd like that." Tsubaki said with a hopefully smile.

"I won't be back in the village until the beginning of the chunin exam after next." Said Jiraiya turning towards the door. "But if you are free I'll give you one on one training in any subject you want."

Tsubaki grinned watery knowing he was about to leave. "Please stay safe."

"Always kid you know that." Jiraiya said before exiting the room so fast there was an after image. Tsubaki bit back a sob as the image dissipated. Yuugo pulled the distraught girl into a hug. Hiruzen and Kakashi looked at each other then left silently.

* * *

Tenten was sitting at the front desk of her father's weapon shop. She found herself looking at a high quality katana. It was an astonishing piece of work with an absolutely fascinating story. It was an ore from a rare meteorite that had fallen into iron country. The smith Muramasa who traveled around creating weapons. He had coincidentally created the seven swordsmen's weapons. It was even rumored that she was that he had even made the Kusanagi no tsuruugi in tandem with the snake summoning clan. And he had walked towards her in the the court of Iron Country in front of everyone and began talking to her about a young blacksmith that he apprenticed when he was younger. She had almost freaked out when he stated that since she hadn't followed in her father's footsteps to be a blacksmith. The as a ninja weapon specialist that she should have a weapon that brought her the fame she hoped to have one day. He pulled out a sheathed Katana. The sheath was made of snakewood with different meteorite studs. And it was polished was a reflective black with red green and blue fragments. She gently pulled it from the sheath and gaze in awe of the blade. It was blue, green, and red folded in the Damascus style. She gazed in awe at the three colored ripple effect of the blade. He had said that.

"This is the only blade you'll ever see like this as it took the whole meteor to get this much metal." Muramasa said with a sly grin. "Your father said that your dearest wish was to one day be as great a ninja ask Lady Tsunade. Well this is your first step child. This weapon will bring you fame because it was made by me. Now all you have to do is prove to the world that you are as good and better than all others. It will be hard and any losses will be heavily criticized but you will forever be remembered as a great ninja.

Tenten didn't know how to deal with this gift. It was already making her get looks from from other ninja and when they had raided a bandit encampment. She had to kill no less than five men who seemed hell bent on taking the katana for themselves. She had cried all night about the fools stupidity. She realized after they cleared out the bandits she realized that the fame that came with having such a weapon was a double edge sword. It put her out there as a very high profile target. She had always wanted to retrieve one of the seven or possibly the Raijin but now she had her own weapon. And she had seen just what her wanted fame was going to cost her. Blood and the lives of others.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to the shop opened up and in walked Tsubaki. Tenten looked at her with a weak smile. "Hey Tsubaki-chan I heard that you got adopted by Yuugo Uzuki. How has that been? And where is Naruto at?"

Tsubaki smiled at her before, pulling her into a tight hug. "I have been great!" She gushed to her best friend. "She has been teaching me all kinds of thing that will help with using the jian."

"Hm do you think she could give me some help with my kenjutsu." Tenten asked with hope in her eyes.

"You should come over and ask." Tsubaki said with a grin. "That way you can ask I'm sure that Yuugo will help you sometime. How are you liking your new sword?"

"I don't know if I'm glad that he gave it to me or if I hate him for it." Tenten said shaking her head in exasperation. Tsubaki looked at her friend in exasperation. "Ever since I received that multicolored sword I have had to kill five people who were trying to get it for themselves."

Tsubaki walked toward the exit. Come on close up your dad's store were gonna go see Yuugo about kenjutsu lessons. Just because you have a legendary weapon doesn't mean that you can wield it, properly."

Tenten looked over at her. "Maybe you aren't remembering just who I am?"

"Nope I know exactly who you are Ten-chan." Tsubaki said with a smile. "You are the weapon mistress of Konoha."

Tenten grinned at Tsubaki and then turned to begin closing up the shop.

* * *

Naruto stood before the classroom waiting expectantly for the teacher's verdict. And he got it Iruka roared angrily at the blonde.

"You fail!" Naruto looked at him and smiled darkly. "That's fine." Naruto said with out taking his eyes off of Iruka. Then he poofed out of existence, which caused all the people in the vicinity. He was rediscovered three hours and a half hours later,(after Tsubaki decided to recreate his shadow clone) outside the Ichiraku ramen stand. He was approached by Mizuki who told him of an alternate way to become a ninja, which he was more than smart enough to see was a ploy but it piqued his interest given that the man wanted him to steal the scroll of sealing. Naruto grinned like a maniac and agreed to the test. He rushed to Tsubaki and Yuugo's apartment and opened the door. He walked right in and said.

"Come on Tsubaki I found a way to get closer to my death I need your-" He stopped talking when he realized that Yuugo and Tenten were also in the room.

"Naruto what are you talking about?" Tenten asked freaked out at his statement.

"It doesn't matter Tenten you'll still have your friend and I'll finally be dead so don't worry about it." Naruto said with a sneer. "Yuugo I need you to tell the Hokage that Mizuki is a traitor and give him this scroll in half an hour." He tossed Yuugo a sealed scroll. He then turned and lead a shell shocked Tsubaki outside. Tenten made to follow them but was stopped by Yuugo. She spun around to Yuugo and demanded that she go after them. Yuugo just gave her a sad look, before saying. "He wouldn't try anything he thought would hurt her so you have no right to stop him killing himself. Tenten you should probably go home for the night as the village is probably going to get a little crazy tonight. Please come by and see Tsubaki tomorrow she is likely to be distraught after this."

A shell shocked Tenten left Yuugo's apartment and made her way home.

* * *

Naruto got the scroll and rushed to the clearing and handed it to Tsubaki who began to read it. She found the jutsu that they wanted. It was called the Blood Clone and it was an 'S' class jutsu because of the chakra cost. It required blood and enough chakra to leave a Kage suffering from chakra exhaustion. But the advantage was that it created a completely new body that unlike the Shadow Clone wouldn't disappear even after its death. Tsubaki read the scroll for half an hour. In that time she had read and reread it three times so that she knew ever detail of the jutsu. Then she looked up at the clone and nodded. Naruto poofed out of existence. She stood up and pulled a kunai out of her pouch and ran it along the naked skin of her wrist. As the blood began to flow she began going through a long complicated series of hand seal. When it was done she had gather just about all of her chakra and prayed to Kami that it would be enough. Then she cried out.

"Blood Clone no Jutsu!" there was a bright flash of light and Naruto appeared before her, naked as the day he was born. He looked at her and smiled. She smiled back tiredly and flopped down on the ground. Naruto walked over to her and rubbed her head gently.

"You did great Tsubaki sleep now." Naruto said and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before rolling up the scroll and giving it to her. He then picked up the bag of his clothes Tsubaki brought with her while Naruto retrieved the scroll. He quickly dressed and sat down and waited on the opposite side of the tree that Tsubaki was passed out under. He didn't have to wait long before the opposite side of the clearing. Iruka burst into the clearing and rushed towards Naruto.

"What do you think you are doing, Naruto why did you steal the scroll of sealing?" Iruka said angrily.

"I'm doing my job asshole why are you here?" Naruto shouted back which took Iruka by surprise.

"I'm trying to find you before someone else does so that there are no 'accidents'." Iruka said with a frown of confusion.

"That doesn't matter." Naruto said with a growl it all ends tonight I take out the traitor Mizuki and I get to disappear. You wanna do something worth while there is an unconscious girl behind this tree. Protect her while I fight the traitor." Naruto said with a fierce scowl.

"You mentioned a traitor twice who is the traitor?" Iruka asked with a worried frown.

Naruto was saved from answering by Mizuki from the tree above Iruka. "I am the traitor. Although I don't know how that little punk knew I was a traitor, but it doesn't matter I'll kill both of you and take the Scroll to lord Orochimaru." Mizuki said with an evil smirk.

"Iruka protect Tsubaki i'll deal with the Traitor." Naruto said throwing a pair of kunai at Mizuki. Mizuki dodged Naruto's kunai only to have to dodge again when Iruka threw a handful of shuriken at Mizuki's new position. Naruto growled at the man who was trying to help him. He then rushed forwards to engage the traitor in taijutsu. Iruka was trying to throw a kunai at Mizuki only to have Naruto catch it and throw it back at him.

"What the hell Naruto?!" Iruka asked after dodging the kunai.

"I told you to protect the girl who is laying on the ground unconscious!" Naruto growled back while attacking Mizuki with Tsubaki's taijutsu style. Mizuki's through a punch only for Naruto to spin out of the way and throw a hammer backfist at Mizuki's jaw. Mizuki rocked back from the physical blow. Iruka hesitated before turning to go to protect Tsubaki. He never saw the downed Mizuki jump up and throw a handful of shuriken at his back. But Naruto did. Both men were surprised when Naruto was the one who was stabbed by five shuriken in the chest. And neither man was able to move when Naruto performed another substitution and appeared in front of Mizuki and with an insane smile plunged the kunai in his hand into the silver haired man's heart. This caused both chunin to stop what they were doing at gaze at the kunai in confusion. Iruka continued to stare as Mizuki fell dead on the ground. He spun around when the Hokage and a contingent of ANBU appeared at the edge of the seen.

Hiruzen looked at Naruto who gave a happy blood cover smile and said. "Traitor eliminate jiji." before falling to the ground coughing up blood. Hiruzen rushed to his side and cradled the dying boy in his arms.

"You did good Naruto I'm sorry that I failed you this much." Hiruzen said sadly.

"I got to be a hero to the village just like dad what more could I ask for?" Naruto said with a failing grin. "I want Tsubaki to get our inheritance jiji. No excuses its her's now ok?"

The Hokage nodded resolutely and said. "Of course she'll get everything. I swear it I'll kill anyone who tries to deny her that."

Naruto nodded happily before laying back and closing his eyes. He quit breathing with a smile on his face. The Hokage lowered Naruto to the ground and turned to Iruka who was still shell shocked from the fight.

"Where is the scroll and where is Tsubaki?" He asked with a voice that demanded an answer.

"Their behind the tree Naruto said." Iruka informed him swiftly. They all walked around the tree to find an unconscious Tsubaki clutching the scroll tightly. The Hokage picked her up and handed her to the ANBU in the Cat mask. He handed the scroll to Iruka and picked up Naruto himself. Then he said lets go we have a hero's funeral to prepare.


End file.
